Wayne L. Westcott: Rotator cuff exercises help prevent injury

Wayne L. Westcott

Friday

Apr 29, 2011 at 12:01 AMApr 29, 2011 at 6:10 PM

Ideally, you should perform the shoulder rotation exercises at the conclusion of your standard strength training session. I suggest that you begin with one exercise each for the internal and external rotator muscles, and progress to two exercises each as these muscles become better conditioned.

This is the time of year when sports enthusiasts need to perform injury prevention exercises for their shoulder rotator cuff muscles. These are the relatively small internal muscles that essentially hold the shoulder joint together and enable rotary movements of your upper arms.

There are many resistance-training tools that you can use to condition the rotator cuff muscles, but my personal preference is a set of elastic bands.

You will need a lower resistance band for working the weaker external rotator muscles and a higher resistance elastic band for working the stronger internal rotator muscles.

I suggest that you begin with one exercise each for the internal and external rotator muscles, and progress to two exercises each as these muscles become better conditioned.

Internal rotation – arm vertical: Attach one end of the elastic band to a door at waist level. Stand with your right side toward the door, your right upper arm against your side (vertical), your right forearm turned outward toward the door, with your hand grasping the other end of the taut elastic band.

Keeping your upper arm vertical, slowly move your forearm in a semicircle across your waist as you pull the elastic band to your left hip. Return slowly to the starting position and repeat for 10 repetitions. Reverse your stance and repeat with your left arm.

External rotation– arm vertical: Attach one end of the elastic band to a door at waist level. Stand with your left side toward the door, your right arm against your side (vertical), your right forearm across your waist with your hand grasping the other end of the taut elastic band by your left hip.

Keeping your upper arm vertical, slowly move your forearm in a semicircle until your right forearm is as far away from your body as comfortable. Return slowly to the starting position, and repeat for 10 repetitions. Reverse your stance and repeat the procedures with your left arm.

Internal rotation – arm horizontal: This is a more stressful exercise for the internal rotators, which begins by attaching one end of the elastic band to a door above shoulder level.

Stand with your back toward the door, your right upper arm away from your body and parallel to the floor, your right forearm vertical with your hand grasping the other end of the taut elastic band. Keeping your upper arm horizontal, slowly move your hand forward and downward through a 90-degree arc. Return slowly to the starting position and repeat for 10 repetitions. Repeat the procedures with your left arm.

External rotation – arm horizontal:This is a more stressful exercise for the external rotators, which begins by attaching one end of the elastic band to a door above shoulder level.

Stand facing the door, your right upper arm away from your body and parallel to the floor, your right elbow flexed 90 degrees, your right forearm parallel to the floor to the front, with your hand gasping the other end of the taut elastic band. Keeping your right upper arm horizontal, slowly move your hand upward and backward through a 90-degree arc. Return slowly to the starting position and repeat for 10 repetitions. Repeat the procedures with your left arm.

Whenever you can comfortably complete 10 repetitions of these exercises, switch to a higher resistance elastic band for progressive strengthening of the shoulder rotator muscles.

Although one set of each exercise is sufficient, you may do two or more sets with a one-minute recovery period between successive sets, if you desire. I recommend performing these rotator cuff muscle exercises two non-consecutive days a week, if possible.

Ideally, you should perform the shoulder rotation exercises at the conclusion of your standard strength training session.

Wayne L. Westcott, Ph.D., teaches exercise science at Quincy College in Massachusetts and consults for the South Shore YMCA. He has authored 24 books on strength training and fitness.

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